Restoring protection for our community: MMIWG2S and the Law with Mary Kathryn Nagle

Mary Kathryn Nagle (Citizen of the Cherokee Nation) answers questions about the legal framework around the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit. She explains how a 1978 Supreme Court decision failed to protect Native people from violence perpetrated by non-Natives, and what has happened since to restore Tribes’ rights to prosecute crimes committed on tribal land. 

Mary Kathryn joined Pipestem & Nagle, P.C. in 2015 from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in New York City, where she specialized in complex commercial litigation related to structured finance, bankruptcy, and federal qui tam actions. She has drafted numerous appellate briefs in federal courts, including federal appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court.

Mary Kathryn has significant experience in briefing issues of constitutional law related to federal Indian law, as well as cases that implicate statutory rights under Indian rights laws such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (“NAGPRA”). 

Mary Kathryn studied law at Tulane Law School, where she graduated summa cum laude and was the recipient of the Judge John Minor Wisdom Award. Her law review articles have been published in five different journals, including the Tulane Law Review and Tulsa Law Review.

She is a frequent speaker at law schools and symposia on issues related to restoration of tribal sovereignty, tribal self-determination, Indian civil and constitutional rights, and safety of Native Women.  She also represents the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) in support of the NIWRC’s work to end violence against Native Women. Mary Kathryn is an accomplished playwright who has written and produced several plays relating to Indians and the law, including Waaxe’s Law, Manahatta, My Father’s Bones (with Suzan Shown Harjo), Miss Lead, Fairly Traceable, and Sliver of a Full Moon.

Resources:Organizations:
Pipestem & Nagle, P.C.: http://www.pipestemlaw.com/attorney/mary-kathryn-nagle/
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center: MMIW Toolkit for Families and Communities
Sovereign Bodies Institute: https://www.sovereign-bodies.org/
Urban Indian Health Institute: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Report, 2018

Donate

Sovereign Bodies Institute: https://www.sovereign-bodies.org/donate
National Indigenous Women’s Resources Center: https://www.niwrc.org/donate
Urban Indian Health Institute:https://www.uihi.org/
Native American LifeLines: https://nativeamericanlifelines.org/
New York Indian Council: https://www.newyorkindiancouncil.org/
National Council of Urban Indian Health: https://www.ncuih.org/index 

Social Media: @mknagle

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Indigenae theme song: “Nothing Can Kill My Love For You” by Semiah 

Instagram: @semiah.smith
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